


We Mere Mortals

by Twentythreefandoms



Category: Merlin (TV) RPF
Genre: M/M, Puppy Bradley, They all mean well, Workaholic!Colin, jealous boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 16:52:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2659385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twentythreefandoms/pseuds/Twentythreefandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their work as actors brought them together, but can it also tear them apart? When Colin spends more of his time as an actor than Bradley's boyfriend, it begins to be too much for Bradley. It will be up to Colin to decide what is more important, the work he loves, or the man that taught him what love is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Mere Mortals

**Author's Note:**

> A project I worked on for my creative writing class, but I changed their names so it wasn't exactly obvious that I was writing fanfiction about my favorite show! This work is unbetaed except for responses from my classmates. I feel like there could be more detail added to the story, but I'm submitting this for a writing contest which limits to 3000 words, so this was the finished product! I hope you all enjoy and feedback is always very appreciated!

** October 11th, 2014  **

When Colin awoke to the alarm on his phone he knew exactly what day it was. The implication of it caused a lurch to form in his stomach and he immediately wished he could fall back asleep. But it was the first Saturday rehearsal for his new play where he played the lead, and in his mind it was bad luck to be on time for any rehearsal, let alone late. 

Grumbling and grappling for his mobile, he clicked the alarm off and the clock disappeared, revealing a picture of Colin with him from a year ago exactly. Colin's black hair and Bradley's blond were untidy at best as the two were embracing, with the cliché birthday hats tossed haphazardly in the mix. All around, they looked ridiculous, but it was his favorite picture of them, and, at the time, he didn’t know it’d be the last picture they’d ever take. He still refused to change the picture. 

It was Bradley's birthday, October 11th of last year, and Colin had planned a great get together at their apartment. A surprise party. Bradley was so thrilled at the gesture, it was almost as if they weren’t fighting anymore. It was then he went and made the worst decision of his life: messing it up. 

Getting the motivation to get out of his bed, Colin sauntered towards his bathroom so he could get through the day. Staying busy always helped… _Staying busy is what lead him to leave_ … he reminded himself ruefully. He raise the temperature of the shower and willed himself to shut up. 

As he returned to his room, he saw his phone lit up and a single vibration erupted, signaling he had a text. _No, it can’t be him_ … He concluded, and he was correct. It was ironically Bradley's sister Stephanie. 

From: Stephanie

Today 7:38AM 

How are you? 

Colin stared at his screen, trying to decipher how to interpret such a vague question. _I’m great, Steph! I just landed a major role in a new play that I’m incredibly excited about, and so soon after finishing up filming for a movie I was just in!_ Or, _I’m doing fine. I haven’t slept in about two years, but that’s the life of an actor!_ Or, _Did you seriously just ask me that question? You know I still love your brother more than anything and I screwed everything up. Oh god, Stephanie, did I screw up…_ But mostly he just felt: Meh. 

He never responded. 

Colin spent the rest of his day immersing himself in his new character, meeting his castmates and all around trying not to think about Bradley. And for the most part it worked; but the moments where someone would say something and it’d remind him of Bradley would throw him off. He knew it had been a year, and that he should have dealt with his feelings by now, but it had always been easier to have work be a distraction than to come to terms with his feelings. It had always been like that. His own cowardly form of therapy. 

** October 11, 2013  **

“Hey! There you are!” Colin heard a familiar voice from behind him. Suddenly someone pulled him away from a group of his friends and stumbled into the arms of Bradley. It was clear the man wasn’t as sober as he thought, but neither was Colin for that matter. 

“Hey you,” replied Colin, straightening himself up (slightly). He attempted at fixing the blond’s hair before giving up and giving Bradley a crooked smile and dropping his hand to cup the other's face. 

“I can’t believe you did this for me,” Bradley told him, genuine shock filtering out, causing Colin into a slight guilt trip. He knew he hadn’t been the best boyfriend in the world as of late. What with going to auditions day and night, and even when he was home he was researching through scripts and scripts for parts that spoke to him, he hadn't been attentive. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Colin asked him, trying to play it off as nonchalant but Bradley, even in his current state, could see he was bothered. 

“Well…”

“It’s the lovebirds!” Vera, their mutual friend, had exclaimed as she stumbled upon them, breaking any chance of further conversation. Colin and Bradley smiled at Vera, who between the three was the most affected by the alcohol. “ _Ohmygod_ …” she slurred, “you two are so beautiful together!” She placed her hands on Colin and Bradley's shoulders, “What you have is a gift.” She told them with a straight(ish) face. Vera began to giggle, her shimmery dress that worked wonders against her copper skin and curly black hair reflected the light and effectively blinded the two men. The two worked together to then collectively hold the woman down until she could control herself. 

“That’s what I keep telling him!” Bradley joked in response, at least... that’s what Colin hoped. 

“I need to take a picture of you two!” Vera decided, looking determined as she fumbled for her phone and held it up. “Come on, pretend like you love each otherrrr!” 

Despite the situation, Colin wrapped his arms around Bradley's waist and the two couldn’t help but smile their brightest for the picture. “Perfect.” Vera beamed, going in and kissing both Colin and Bradley before sauntering away. 

** October 11, 2014  **

Colin arrived at his flat in the late afternoon and immediately collapsed on the couch. He hadn’t worked that hard in a long time, and he felt proud of himself for pushing to his limit. He only questioned the motive behind working that hard. _Did it even matter at this point?_ He checked his phone and groaned when he saw that it happened to be half past ten. At night. These days were nothing new, but the first day always were the most tiring, and adding the stress from this specific day, the sleep he longed for earlier finally came. 

** October 11, 2013  **

Colin found himself out on the balcony, sitting upon the stone ledge and taking another swig of his mixed drink. Black Russians were his poison, and he just downed his third. His phone went off and he fumbled for it, reading a new text from his agent. He blinked a few times and read the text: an audition that just opened up for his dream role: Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet. A part that he had wanted since he was a child, and tomorrow he had the chance to make that dream a reality. 

Without even thinking, Colin went back into the apartment. Zigzagging his way through his guests he finally made it to Bradley and his bedroom where his laptop sat, ready for use. He had spent the next hour on his laptop, feverishly researching Mercutio’s character. Colin knew that he had researched this character to an inch of his life, defining the problem of being a perfectionist. It wasn’t until Colin heard the soft click of the bedroom door behind him that he remembered what universe he lived in. 

He twisted around to see Bradley, who did not look pleased, “What are you doing?” He asked tersely. 

“I got a text from my agent… I got an audition for Mercutio tomorrow and I have to research!” He said hurriedly, wanting to acknowledge the twinge of guilt that built up inside of him, but he pushed it away and turned back towards his computer. 

“Can’t you take one night off? For my birthday?” Bradley asked, closing the door behind him and venturing further into their bedroom. 

“I would, you know I would, but this is my dream role!” He gestured to his notes upon notes, “This chance doesn’t happen every day!” 

“What about me?” Bradley inquired, trying not to lose his temper. “Do you think I just happen every day?” 

“Please don’t get dramatic on me, Bradley.” Colin requested apathetically, turning back to his work. 

A cruel laughter came from behind him, “Right. From the actor.” Silence hung in the air for a moment and Colin thought things were over, but a creak came from the bed and a deep sigh, “You always do this, Cols. Putting work before anything or anyone else. I would have thought you could’ve stopped for one night. At least for me.”

“If you’re done with your pity party I’m sure the _actual_ party I’ve thrown for you will be much more fun.” Colin snapped, instantly regretting his words but remaining silent, waiting for the storm to blow over. It always seemed to go like this. They’d fight about something, Colin would say something mean and cruel, Bradley would leave for the night, and by the next night they were making up. 

But the storm never came. Instead, Colin heard a rustling sound that he couldn’t place. 

Turning around once more, he saw Bradley walking about their bedroom with a duffel in his hands as he threw a random array of his clothing in the bag. 

“Wh-what are you doing?” Colin stuttered, forgetting all about the laptop. 

“I can’t do this anymore. Pretending like it’s okay to come second in your life. I… I just can’t do it.” He zipped his duffel shut and opened the door, glancing back at a stunned Colin, “I’m sorry.” and that was the last time he saw Bradley. 

** October 11, 2014 **

Colin awoke on the couch, stretching his limbs until he heard the satisfying pop of his joints. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, sighing as the events of the past day came rushing upon him. Reaching for his phone in his pocket, Colin turned on his phone and glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes until midnight. Fifteen minutes until it was just another October day. He willed those fifteen minutes to pass and that the aching hole in his heart that grew by the sake of guilt to go away. The longer he stared at the clock the more he hated himself. 

He groaned and dropped his face into his hands. Who was he kidding? He wanted to talk to Bradley. Actually, he just wanted Bradley back. But, would calling his ex-boyfriend on his birthday after they broke each other’s hearts be healing for either of them? Or, would it just create a larger hole that needed to be fixed? 

Vibrations startled the brunette as he lifted his face out of his hands and inspected his mobile. Colin’s heart stopped in his chest as he looked at the caller ID: Bradley James. He was calling him. Bradley was calling him, after a year of silence. And on his birthday. He could have stared at the screen forever out of pure shock, delight and fear, but, in the end, there was only one thing he could do. 

He answered the phone. 

“Bradley,” Colin breathed, scarcely believing the circumstance. 

“Hey…” Bradley replied, sounding hesitant on the other line. “H-how are you?” He asked. 

Colin couldn’t help but laugh at the question, thinking back earlier to Stephanie's text message and how his answer completely changed now. “I’m fine!” He ended up saying, knowing that it was in the middle of ‘I’ve been an absolute wreck the past year,’ and ‘Holy shit, I love you so much thank you for calling me I was so scared I had lost the love of my life. So yes, he felt fine. 

“That’s good.” Bradley smiled, still sounding hesitant. “I didn’t know if you’d be awake or not. I saw that you start rehearsals for your new play.” 

Colin’s eyebrows shot up, “You know about that?” 

Bradley chuckled, “Yes, as creepy as it sounds, I do.” Colin tried his hardest not to squee with joy. “It’s probably also creepy that _I’m_ calling _you_ on my birthday.” 

“I wanted to call you, I was just so scared that I’d lose you already more than I do now.” Colin explained quickly. 

“I have always been the braver one.” Bradley agreed. 

Colin grinned and rolled his eyes, “Alright, I’ll give you that one. But I really did want to call you. For a long time now.” 

Bradley took a minute to respond, “And what would you have said… if you called me?” 

Colin’s heart sped up even more, willing himself to think of all the things he had been thinking the past year and create a sentence, a word, even a syllable. Now that he had his chance to talk with Bradley he needed to make him see that he was a selfish bastard, even though their four year relationship should have already proved that. But he couldn’t form them into words. 

“Yeah, same.” Bradley replied after Colin continued his silence. 

“Why is it so hard to just say words?” Colin grumbled, hanging his head. 

“Because we're actors and we've learned how to read from a script. Words are handed to us and we perfect them.” Bradley replied simply. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Colin winced, hurting from the raw honesty. “I’m great at fucking things up, though. You have to give me that.” 

Bradley sighed, “Cols…” 

The sound of a door opening came on the other line and a male voice spoke, “There you are! Why aren’t you at your party? I worked so hard on it, too!” 

“Sorry, I had to make a phone call.” Bradley replied, sounding stressed. 

“Well hurry up,” the voice replied, getting louder, “I want to give you my present.” He said seductively before Colin heard an unmistakable sound of a kiss. The door opened and closed, signifying that Bradley and Colin were alone again. 

“Colin…” Bradley spoke quickly. 

Silence. 

“Cols, are you still there??” Bradley replied again, sounding desperate. 

“Is this some cruel joke?” He spat, angry tears falling freely. “I have spent this past year trying to get over you, and then _you_ call _me_ , on the exact date that I effectively ruined my life, just to remind me of that.” 

“Colin, please--” 

He didn’t listen to Bradley's excuse, he hung up and let out an anguished cry. How could he ever have thought that his relationship with Bradley wasn’t anything but over? It had been a year, and yet in the back of his mind, despite the extreme pressure it took to repress his emotions, they all came flooding back in the end. He no closer to closure than the day Bradley stormed out of their apartment. He knew that now. And it ruined him. 

** October 12, 2014  **

Frantic pounding came from Colin’s apartment door, startling awake the extremely drunk man. After five shots too many and choosing to watch the videos he refused to delete from his phone, Colin had passed out on the couch. He instantly regretted his choice once he felt the intense headache and the nauseous pit in his stomach. He glanced at his phone and saw it was nearly one in the morning and sat up as he waited until his line of vision became one. Colin made his way towards the door in an untimely manner, gracing the appearance of a quintessential drunk. 

Colin threw the door open and rubbed his eyes as he hiccuped, “What--” but stopped completely when he noticed the man standing at his door. “Bradley…” he slurred. 

The blond peered at him guiltily, “Is this a bad time?” 

Colin smacked his lips and hiccuped again, “Why are there two of you?” 

Bradley scrunched his face, “What?” 

It happened to be then that Colin lost consciousness.

** ***  **

An unmistakable feeling of complete shit washed over Colin as he came to, causing him to immediately wish himself back asleep. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was tucked nicely into his bed as if he were a child. His head also rang endlessly as he continued to glance around his bedroom, his mouth as dry as the hottest desert, and most importantly he was sweating everywhere. He reached for his forehead and found a cool washcloth that was actually helping one of his many problems. 

Colin turned his attention on his next greatest desire: water. A slow whine escaped his lips as he turned his body towards the door, only to be distracted by the glass of water sitting nicely on the bedstand, begging to be drunk. Working his stiff limbs, he grasped for the glass and downed it in one sitting, already feeling better once the water was in his system. 

Three knocks came from the bedroom door and Colin turned to see Bradley standing hesitantly. “Do you need more water?” 

“You’re… here… It wasn’t a dream…” Colin breathed, setting down the glass and staring wide-eyed at the blond. 

Bradley smiled tiredly, crossing his arms and stepping into the room a bit further, “No, it wasn’t. Though, you were a sloshed enough for the both of us. Lightweight.” 

Colin groaned, “And you’re not…?” 

“No, I didn’t drink last night.” 

Last night. The phone call. Bradley's fancy new boyfriend. Colin thought he was going to throw up at the mere thought of Bradley with anyone else, despite how selfish that was. “So why aren’t you at your party that your boyfriend so lovingly planned for you. Sounds a bit familiar.” He said curtly, cutting himself off from all emotions but sass. 

Bradley sighed and sat on the edge of the bed next to Colin. With him being so close Colin could see the slight changes he missed over the past year. There was nothing dynamic, but enough to make him sick from all that time apart. “Derrick's not my boyfriend. I'm just working on a project with him.” 

“Then… what was with the suggestive tones and the kissing?” Colin spluttered. 

Shaking his head, Bradley revealed his beautiful smile, “He’s just very… open… with his promiscuity. But there’s nothing going on with him.” 

“Oh.” Now he felt like an ass. “Sorry.” 

Bradley exhaled and placed his hand on Colin’s thigh, “What am I going to do with you?” 

“Have breakfast with me?” Colin suggested, reaching for Bradley's hand. 

Bradley took his hand with Colin's and smiled, “Sure.”


End file.
